JP7598375B2 - Integrated Energy Storage System - Google Patents

Description

Generally speaking, many devices or components may be operated, at least in part, by a power source. In the context of vehicles, an electric vehicle may be operated, in whole or in part, by a power source. A power source for an electric vehicle may be generally referred to as a "battery," which may represent individual battery cells, or cells, modules, and packs. In some approaches, a collection of cells may be considered individual modules, and a collection of modules may be considered a pack. A power source for an electric vehicle may be assembled and maintained in a pack configuration. Similar approaches/terminology may be applicable to storage applications in an electrical grid to collect, store, and distribute energy.

Electric vehicles typically require large amounts of power, sometimes up to a thousand times more powerful than typical consumer devices such as mobile devices. To achieve these power requirements, the battery pack of an electric vehicle typically includes a large, dense arrangement of individual cells arranged individually or configured into multiple modules. The configuration and performance of the battery pack depends on the characteristics of the individual battery cells, the total number of individual cells assembled into the battery pack, and the arrangement/orientation of the cells and auxiliary components into the modules or battery pack. Battery packs can represent one of the most expensive, large, and heavy assemblies in the context of most applications of electric vehicle transportation and power storage in the electric grid.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components of an integrated battery pack in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components of an integrated battery pack in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating example components of a cylindrical cell for use in an array of a cylindrical electricity storage array in accordance with some aspects of the present application.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating example components of a cylindrical cell for use in an array of a cylindrical electricity storage array in accordance with some aspects of the present application.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components of an integrated battery pack in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components of an integrated battery pack in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an integrated battery pack combined with additional support structure in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

1 illustrates a system for combining an integrated battery pack with a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment. 1 illustrates a system for combining an integrated battery pack with a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment.

1 illustrates a system for combining an integrated battery pack with a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment. 1 illustrates a system for combining an integrated battery pack with a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an integrated battery pack combined with additional support structure in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

1 illustrates a system for combining an integrated battery pack with a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment. 1 illustrates a system for combining an integrated battery pack with a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment.

1 illustrates a system for combining an integrated battery pack with a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment. 1 illustrates a system for combining an integrated battery pack with a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment.

Generally described, one or more aspects of the present disclosure relate to an energy storage system that includes an integrated battery pack or module that requires only support along the perimeter. Illustratively, an integrated integrated battery pack can be formed and used as part of the structural support for a vehicle frame. For example, the battery pack can include a bottom layer formed from a honeycomb or ribbed surface that is mechanically bonded to the cells in the battery pack. The bottom layer is designed to absorb and dissipate impact energy from below, reducing the possibility of damage to the delicate battery materials and breaching the sealed enclosure of the battery pack. In one embodiment, the bottom layer is fabricated from a material that has sufficient stiffness and strength to support the battery cells and react to mechanical loads from normal vehicle operation, but can also deform in response to road impacts from below that could cause failure of the battery pack system. In addition to creating a flexible or collapsible structure, the series of ribs can allow gases to escape the battery pack in the event of damage to a particular cell or thermal runaway in one or more cells of the battery pack.

An exemplary integrated monolithic battery pack may further include one or more characteristics or features that may be combined into a structural frame that holds the battery pack module or array of battery cells. Various aspects of the features are described below. In one aspect, such features may include a structural frame of the battery pack that houses the energy storage cell unit/array and corresponds to a sealed container that includes a resin. The resin may be selected and implemented according to thermal and structural performance or thresholds. In another aspect, such features may include an array of small or large cells having all positive and negative electrical terminals aligned in-plane on a common surface of the product assembly. In yet another aspect, such features may include components for thermal management of the cell array, such as various cooling components for passively or actively cooling the cell array. In yet another aspect, such features may include materials for electrically insulating the cells from adjacent components. In a further aspect, such features may include one or more conductive foil sheets for electrical interconnection of the cells and battery terminals, as well as voltage sensing channels. In still further aspects, such features may include one or more electrical fuse elements. In yet another aspect, such features may include electronics for product voltage/temperature measurement and control.

While various aspects are described according to exemplary embodiments and feature combinations, those skilled in the art will appreciate that these examples and feature combinations are exemplary in nature and should not be construed as limiting.

Upon incorporation into various embodiments, such as a storage network in an electric vehicle or distribution grid, the implementer or manufacturer of the energy storage system seeks to reduce the overhead costs of the cells and non-cells of the energy storage system, such as material costs, capital expenditures, operating expenses, and the suppression of manufacturing scrap. In addition, the implementer or manufacturer also seeks to reduce the overhead volume and mass of the energy storage system, which may further limit the maximum volumetric or weight packing density of the energy cells incorporated into the energy storage system. In certain applications, the energy storage system may also be configured or manufactured to provide additional non-cell performance functions by engaging with the unique materials and shapes of the array of energy cells (cell array) and supporting components, such as the pack enclosure. By implementing such configurations, the implementer or manufacturer may reduce or mitigate the additional cost, mass, volume, and complexity of the structure that was previously provided by other structures or components within the battery or elsewhere on the frame of the electric vehicle (or other device). The greatly simplified manufacturing assembly accelerates the design, ramp-up, and scaling of high-volume automated manufacturing facilities while reducing the facility's footprint for a given production capacity.

One or more aspects of the present application, individually or in combination, can address the challenges and inefficiencies of such implementations. For example, as described herein, laser welded interconnects along the common plane of the cell array provide voltage and current with less heat loss and produce conductive connections used to connect voltage sensing and control electronics, all with a smaller manufacturing footprint/operating expense compared to previous methods. In another example, structural resins in the battery pack frame can be used to position and constrain the cells in the final product, react to inertial loads from shock and vibration, effectively manage induced or uninduced thermal runaway, and provide additional passive heat sinking capacity and a parallel thermal path to an active cooling system. In a further example, the incorporation of dielectric cell sleeves on individual cells in a battery array creates an electrical barrier that electrically isolates the energy storage unit from the product frame, other cells, and active cooling systems (if equipped and made of conductive structures). Applying electrical insulation at the cell level allows for the construction of series voltage strings with maximum volumetric packing density of battery cells, since it is not necessary to physically space the conductive cell containers. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that additional advantages or technical efficiencies may be associated with one or more aspects or combinations of aspects of the present application, without limitation.

Exemplary Battery Pack Frame Structure In one embodiment, the battery pack may be provided with a frame structure that forms a sealed container upon completion of manufacturing assembly or as part of the coupling of the battery pack with the rest of the product, such as an electric vehicle. The frame structure may be composed of single or multiple materials and components that are pre-assembled or formed by a series of component additions. The seals can be designed to be activated/enabled by specific masses or loads applied to the components during manufacturing assembly. The frame structure may include various mechanical or electrical interfaces to restrain or interconnect other functional components. For example, the frame structure may include interfaces for functional electronics or high gauge terminals (bus bars) suitable for carrying highly concentrated currents to the battery interface points. Additionally, the frame structure may include additional components or features to facilitate single cell, multi-cell, and array level performance in thermal runaway events.

Illustratively, the frame structure is configured or constructed with one or more cavities or defined areas for receiving a cell array or a set of modules including a cell array. The frame structure can be constructed with structural characteristics suitable for suspending the mass of the cell array or cell modules within the defined area. Additionally, the frame structure can be further configured to tolerate or manage abusive loads or shocks from above or below the frame structure to protect the functional integrity of the battery pack or cell array or modules as a whole.

When incorporated into an electric vehicle, portions of the frame structure may be constructed from or coated with an electrically insulating material to insulate the electrical conduction chain in a volumetrically dense manner from adjacent product chassis components.

Additionally, as described in more detail below, a portion of the frame structure can act as a negative mold for the resin so that a beneficial geometry for the product is achieved as part of the resin filling process.

Referring to FIG. 1A, an exemplary energy storage system 100 corresponding to a cell array module is shown. The energy storage system 100 shows a sealed container including various components and features described herein. Referring to FIG. 1B, an exploded view of the energy storage system 100 of FIG. 1a is shown. Referring to FIG. 1B, the energy storage system 100 includes a frame structure 102, 120. Illustratively, the frame structure 102, 120 corresponds to six individual sides that result in the sealed container of FIG. 1A. The structure shown in FIG. 1A corresponds to a three-dimensional structure for purposes of illustration. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the dimensions of the energy storage system may vary based on the number of cells 132 utilized and the geometric shape of the cells. Additionally, the energy storage system may be configured to be integrated with a vehicle and may further accommodate custom shapes and configurations that may be uniquely configured.

In one embodiment, the frame structure 102 includes a bottom surface 104, illustratively a mineral sheet. The bottom surface can be selected or configured to be relatively thin and mechanically fragile so that the bottom surface will break at low back pressure in the event of thermal runaway of the battery cells. The bottom surface can be made of a material that may be mechanically stable against high velocity gas erosion and exhibits high melting temperature and high heat resistance to protect the cell array from harmful convective heat transfer. An inner portion of the bottom surface illustratively is relatively planar or flat for alignment of the cell array held by adhesion, and has low deformation under load to effectively respond to the hold-down force required to crush the foil-to-terminal gap during fabrication of the electrical interconnects. In some embodiments, the bottom surface can be shaped or corrugated to provide continuous attachment to a vehicle or other structure. Additionally, the bottom surface can provide support or energy absorption for the battery base plate to reduce physical intrusion or distribute cell distortion, resulting in a reduction in the total mass of the battery system components. In some embodiments, the ribbed bottom tray may be replaced with a "negative geometry" that closes off the cell's vent volume from ingress of potting resin, thereby allowing for direct resin mechanical bonding to the battery floor. In yet further embodiments, the ribbed bottom may be replaced entirely by a honeycomb sandwich panel.

A portion of the frame structure 102 may further include one or more molded end caps or sides 106, 108 corresponding to the lateral frame structure where the hydraulic interface is located. The sides 106, 108 may be constructed/configured for low-cost and geometrically tolerant sealing around the thermal and mounting interfaces. The sides 106, 108 may include features for retention of ultrasonically or thermally secured electrical terminal bus bars. In some embodiments, one side, such as side 106, may include components or interfaces corresponding to a positive terminal connector of the energy storage system 100, while the other side 108 may include components or interfaces corresponding to a negative terminal connector of the energy storage system. In another embodiment, the sides may be used to position and restrain functional electronics.

The frame structure 102 may further include one or more surfaces 110, 112 corresponding to the remaining vertically oriented faces of the frame structure. The sides 110, 112 may correspond to molded engineering grade filled or unfilled plastic mounts with a waffle pattern for engaging adhesive resins under shear and peel loads. The sides 110, 112 may further include features for ultrasonically or thermally fixed electronics/PCBAs, and access ports for integrated thermal instruments. The sides 110, 112 may further include positioning of the cell array relative to the frame structure 102. Additionally, in some embodiments where the positive and negative terminals of the cell array correspond to the same plane, an interface for electrical connection to the cell array and sensing electronics is located at the level where the plane intersects the sides 110, 112. One or more electrical interconnects 116 are shown attached to the sides 106 and 110 for illustrative purposes. In one embodiment, the interconnects 116 are mounted to the side so that electrical connections can be made to the individual cells 132 that form a substantially horizontal plane based on the alignment of their top surfaces. This is also shown in FIG.

In some embodiments, the frame structure can be associated with a lid 120, which may be integrated with the frame structure 102 or may be a separate component attached to the frame structure. The lid 120 can correspond to a thermoplastic sheet, a mineral sheet, or an electrically insulated metal sheet. The lid can include a soft foam perimeter seal to seal the resin, as well as a molded or formed perimeter wall to aid in the alignment of the seal during assembly. In some embodiments, the lid can function as a dielectric insulation barrier between the cells/electronics and the battery enclosure. Additionally, the lid 120 can provide a can interface for suction lift. The lid 120 can illustratively be constructed or constructed of a material that captures a set thickness of the top surface of the resin material (e.g., potting material) and provides a thermal barrier in the event of a thermal runaway. The lid 120 can be stamped or stamped after it is formed. In some embodiments, the lid 120 can be replaced by a lattice or waffle pattern to allow direct bonding to the battery cover without introducing a rigid material stack for upper side abuse while providing electrical insulation by distance. Still further, in other embodiments, the lid 120 can be removed entirely and replaced by application of a dielectric coating or lining to the top cover of the battery enclosure that allows for direct resin bonding of the underlying cell array.

In further embodiments, the integrated battery pack may be housed in an additional frame structure such that the integrated battery pack is not necessarily directly integrated into the vehicle structure, but provides support for the vehicle. In this regard, a plurality of individual battery packs may be provided in the vehicle. The vehicle may further include additional support columns or structures in addition to the battery packs for additional support. For example, the vehicle portion may include a support column that crosses the width of the set of integrated battery packs or is parallel to the set of integrated battery packs. The additional support columns or structures may be configured to provide additional support for additional components associated with the vehicle, such as a set of front or rear seats. In another example, support columns may be incorporated into one or more sides of the vehicle or adjacent to the set of integrated battery packs to react to or absorb compressive, tensile, torsional, shear, or bending stresses imposed by other components, passengers, or loads from the vehicle. The geometry of the additional support columns and the set of integrated battery packs may be selected to present a relatively flat underside of the vehicle for placement of additional components. Depending on the implementation of the integrated battery pack and the potting material that may be utilized for the cell array, as described below, such posts or other support structures may not be necessary and may be considered optional, or may be removed entirely.

Exemplary Cell Arrays With continued reference to FIG. 1B, the energy storage system may further include a cell array 130. The cell array 130 may include a plurality of individual cells, which may be rectangular or cylindrical small or large form factors. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that additional or different shapes may be utilized beyond cylindrical and rectangular cells. Additionally, in some alternative embodiments, it may be possible to incorporate cell arrays of cells of different shapes. FIGS. 2A and 2B show two views of an individual cell 132 utilized in a cell array, such as the cell array 130. Returning to FIG. 1B, the group of cells 132 may be arranged as a module or array aligned in a common orientation. In other embodiments, serial groups of cells may be arranged as modules in alternating or staggered orientations.

In one embodiment, all positive and negative cell terminals of the individual cells are aligned in a common planar orientation with respect to the array of cells. For example, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, each of the individual cells can include a positive terminal 132A and a negative terminal 132B on the top surface of the cell such that both terminal surfaces lie on a substantially similar horizontal plane. Such a common planar orientation, or a substantially planar orientation, facilitates primary and secondary electrical interconnections along a common plane necessary for power supply, series voltage sensing, and inclusion of electrical terminal interfaces for the cell array. Additionally, electrical connectors or interfaces can be incorporated into the walls of the frame structure 102.

In one embodiment, a dielectric sleeve is pre-applied to the exterior of the individual cells 134 (FIGS. 2A and 2B) to substantially surround the cylindrical side of each cell 134. The cells may be purposefully spaced apart or in direct contact (maximum packing density). The use of dielectric cell sleeves on the sides 134 can function to improve volumetric energy density and reduce internal void volume (thereby reducing the cost and therefore mass of a structurally packed module configuration), and can consequently reduce the likelihood of propagation to a module or pack-level safety event by promoting balanced diffusion of thermal energy from induced or uninduced thermal runaway. The dielectric cell sleeve also allows adjacent components to be fabricated from electrically or thermally conductive materials for application-specific performance.

The cell array 130 can be passively or actively cooled on one or more sides by liquid and/or gas. In one embodiment, the cells are cooled at the curved side interface utilizing thermal components 138 disposed in the gaps 136 (FIG. 4) provided between the individual cell arrays. In this aspect, the arrangement of the cell arrays is configured to form gaps that provide contact between the thermal components 138 and the sides of the individual cells 132. Cooling the curved side interface allows pressure vent and electrical terminal cell functions to reside on the opposing/separate flat sides of the individual cells 132, maximizing the height of the cell container that can be packaged in the vehicle product (benefiting from the cost overhead of the active materials), and locating the thermal interface outside the series load and heat leakage paths of the energy storage system 100. Additionally, the resulting cooling channels created by the thermal management components 138 created to package the side cooling architecture also provide a path for cross-flow of the structural resin in the manufacturing filling process. The thermal management component 138 may be preassembled as part of a sealed plastic container or directly onto a portion of the cell array prior to introduction into the container. In one embodiment, the shape of the thermal management component 138 is selected to precisely position the cell within the product, and an adhesive is introduced to simultaneously freeze this preferred location and improve the overall magnitude and level of variation of thermal conductivity between the cell active material and the thermal management system.

Illustratively, the thermal management component 138 can correspond to a cooling tube or plate material that can be metal or plastic. The thermal management component 138 configuration can be U-shaped or V-shaped to trade off the lowest thermal resistance for the highest accuracy of cell location. The tube extrusions of the thermal management component 138 can be crushed to achieve improved pressure drop and thermal resistance at the same cell grid geometric overhead in addition to improved cell location accuracy in the presence of part quality defects. Still further, the resulting cooling channel manifold can be mirror-inverted to offset the effects of flow imbalance due to mismatched lengths of parallel channels.

In one embodiment, there are separate "supply" and "return" sections within each cooling channel, also known as "U-FLOW", which can be used to collapse thermally induced in-parallel brick voltage gradients that adversely affect performance via current balancing and overcharge temperature limiting. The "U-FLOW" configuration can also be used to reduce cell array overhead packaging volume by consolidating/more efficiently nesting bulky components/interfaces along a single side of the cell array. Another benefit of consolidating hydraulic interfaces on a common side of the cell array is the reduction of sealing interfaces (potential leak points) that are involved in the plastic encapsulation, which can also facilitate packaging of nearby measurement and sensing electronic components.

In embodiments with alternating oriented cells, the ends of the cooling channels 138 can be used as an interface to attach electrically insulated conductors bridging the lower voltage brick foil sheet 140 upward for interconnection to the sensing and measurement electronics also shown in FIG. 3. The conductive foil sheets 140 can be single or various gauges to interconnect the energy storage units in series and parallel and meet the resistive heating, current balance, and mass/cost/manufacturing requirements of the application. The primary conductive foil sheet 140 can be broken down or organized into N+1 individual sections, where N is the number of series cells in the energy storage array. Each section couples the negative terminal of one parallel cell section to the positive terminal of the subsequent parallel cell section. The individual sections can be added individually or as part of a stacked pre-assembly. The direction of the series voltage build-up can be parallel or perpendicular to the direction of cooling fluid flow, or some combination of the two. When multiple conductive foil sheets 140 are implemented (e.g., in an alternating cell orientation architecture), the foil sheets can be placed on two or more sides of the cell array assembly. The foil sheet 140 can be applied to the surface of the cell array assembly as described herein.

In one embodiment, the preassembly can start as a single foil sheet of conductive material and be separated during the process to create N+1 individual sections. The individual plates forming the primary conductive foil sheet can be directly connected to the voltage sensing electronics via extensions or integrated traces. Alternatively, a second layer of conductive foil sheet can be added to accomplish this function. The primary conductive foil sheet is then laser welded to create electrical connections with the cells, sensing electronics, and positive/negative array terminals. Illustratively, the foil design can include multiple parallel tabs per terminal to reduce resistive losses or serve as dedicated manufacturing rework locations. Additionally, the foil tabs can be oversized to allow for holding down fixtures and test probes for quality verification of the electrical interconnects.

The foil or tab profile can be locally varied to mitigate current imbalances due to product geometry and cell array layout. The primary conductive foil sheet can neatly incorporate cell or array level electrical fuse functionality (encapsulated by resin or mineral sheets to suppress arcing) or this can be accomplished with additional components. The conductive foil sheet design includes perforations to accommodate uniform drainage and filling of structural resin material during manufacturing. In one embodiment, the conductive foil sheet is precisely matched in size to the thermal assembly to reduce the span of separate parts/assemblies that are simultaneously aligned for interconnection operations. Additionally, matching the size of the conductive foil sheet and cooling components allows them to be joined together as a precision subassembly with access to the upper and lower cell surfaces prior to introduction into the resin container and interconnection to adjacent subassemblies that cooperatively form the series voltage stack. A series electrical chain can be created by tiling these smaller foil layers together or by stacking additional electrically bridging foil sheets on top. This embodiment provides the lowest possible current density in the cell array conductors and neatly incorporates repeating elongated drain channels for rapid structural resin filling, which is particularly beneficial for energy storage products utilizing relatively small cell unit sizes (e.g., 18650).

Exemplary Temperature and Control Electronics Voltage/temperature sensing and control electronics can be mounted on any surface of the energy storage system 100, such as sides 110, 112, 104, 106. In one embodiment, the electronics are configured with one or more long format PCBAs mounted along the sides of the cell array, with voltage and temperature sensing points integrated beside the surfaces 110, 112. This arrangement eliminates the need for a separate voltage sensing harness and gives temperature sensor access to the first and last cells along the outermost thermal assembly. In another embodiment, the PCBA electronics are mounted in the same plane as the primary conductive foil and cell terminals. In yet another arrangement, the PCBA electronics are mounted remotely and connected by long aluminum or copper voltage sensing harnesses via laser welding and/or connectors. The latter arrangement results in additional components and process steps, but provides the most volumetrically dense packaging and the lowest overall material cost/mass solution. Optionally, the long voltage sensing harnesses may be integrated directly into the conductive material profile of the foil sheet 140.

Exemplary Resin/Potting Materials The resin material is designed in some embodiments to provide (1) thermal protection and (2) structural support for the cells and cell array in addition to the overall product frame. The above-described embodiments reduce the overall cost, mass, volume, and manufacturing overhead of a given product by forming a geometrically stiff composite honeycomb cell array structure that can participate in shear, bending, and torsion. The resin composition must be electrically insulating and may be pure polymeric material in composition or may be filled with additives that exhibit some combination of low density, fire resistance, and endothermic combustion properties. The polymeric material may be foamed to reduce the final density within the battery.

Resin properties can be tailored to provide increased or decreased properties in the categories of thermal conductivity, flame resistance, cure and rheological properties, virgin or aged mechanical response, density and thermal mass, and overall cost. The volumetric coverage of the resin material within the cell array is carefully tailored to act as a conduction, convection, and radiation barrier in addition to electrical fuse arc suppression. Interstitial cell array spaces may be partially or completely filled depending on product requirements. Resin layers above and below the cell array can be directly bonded to relatively low gauge continuous skins of high mechanical capability, as commonly found in sandwich panel construction. Resin layers can be locally or globally increased to add geometric cross section, improve impact attenuation and protection from abuse cases on the top or bottom surfaces, and/or enhance thermal resistance between the active material and thermal runaway vent channels.

Resin properties are generally tunable within the range of chemistries, fillers, and process requirements. These properties fall into the categories of thermal conductivity, flame resistance, cure and rheological properties, initial or aged mechanical response, density and thermal mass, and overall cost. By way of example, resin properties can be configured or selected with consideration of one or more of heat and flame resistance, tensile modulus, elongation, yield strength, adhesive shear strength, mix viscosity, handling time, and density. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous resin formulations that achieve the above balanced set of properties. Each battery array architecture may require variations, modifications, and potting configurations, and multiple resins can be utilized in any particular embodiment. This resin tunability provides flexibility in the approach to structural energy storage cell arrays.

Exemplary Integration with Electric Vehicles In one embodiment, FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of the multiple battery structures 102A, 102B, 102C, 102D, which are considered to be individual modules of the energy storage system 100. The multiple battery structures are suspended within a larger enclosure 500 having a bottom 502 and a top 504. As shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle 600 includes several mounting posts 702A and 702B that are utilized to provide support to the vehicle 600 and the battery structures 102A, 102B, 102C, 102D. The top 504 can be directly coupled to the battery structures 102A, 102B, 102C, 102D and can mechanically engage other components of the vehicle, such as seats. The top 504 can serve as the vehicle's floor structure for passengers. FIGS. 6A and 6B show the mounting of the enclosure 500 within the frame of the vehicle 600. FIG. 7A shows a top view of the enclosure 500 within the frame 600. 7B shows a cross-sectional view of the vehicle 600 and enclosure 500 showing multiple battery structures 102A, 102B, 102C, 102D. In this embodiment, the struts 702A and 702B add additional mass to the vehicle 600 and occupy additional space that could otherwise be utilized for additional cell arrays. Furthermore, each individual battery structure 102A, 102B, 102C, 102D requires attachment to the vehicle or fastening into a separate enclosure.

In another embodiment, the individual battery structures are eliminated entirely, and the cell array and enclosure are combined directly to strengthen the redundancy and reduce the total amount of components in a given assembly. FIG. 8 shows an exploded view of a single battery structure 102E, which is considered to be an energy storage system 100. The cell array 102E is attached directly to a larger enclosure 800 having a bottom 802 and a top 804. The top 804 can be directly coupled to the battery structure 102E and can mechanically engage other components of the vehicle, such as seats. The top 804 can serve as a floor structure of the vehicle for passengers. FIGS. 9A and 9B show the mounting of the enclosure 800 in the frame of the vehicle 900. FIG. 10A shows a top view of the enclosure 800 in the frame 900. FIG. 10B shows a cross-sectional view of the vehicle 900 and the enclosure 800 showing the single battery structure 102. Compared to vehicle 600 (FIGS. 7A and 7B), vehicle 900 includes a single integrated battery structure 102E without the need for additional supports. This provides additional space for the battery structure 102E to incorporate additional cells in the cell array or additional cell arrays (depending on the orientation of the cells and cell arrays). This can improve the performance of vehicle 900, such as reducing the overall mass of the vehicle and providing additional volume to incorporate additional cells to improve energy storage capacity. Furthermore, the battery structure illustratively engages vehicle 900 at the perimeter of the integrated battery structure shown at 902 and 904. The enclosure 800 attached at the perimeter alone closes the open bottom of the vehicle body in such a way that no separate passenger compartment floor components are required. The passenger compartment floors of both vehicles 600 and 900 function in a geometric cross section that forms an environmental sealing AND an efficient mechanical structure and mechanically engages with other vehicle components (e.g., seats and crash structures).

The foregoing disclosure is not intended to limit the disclosure to the precise form or particular field of use disclosed. Thus, various alternative embodiments and/or modifications to the disclosure, whether expressly described or implied herein, are contemplated in light of the present disclosure. Having thus described an embodiment of the disclosure, one skilled in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the disclosure is limited only by the scope of the claims.

In the foregoing specification, the disclosure has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the various embodiments disclosed herein can be modified or embodied in various other ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Thus, this description should be considered as illustrative and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art how to make and use the various embodiments of the disclosed air vent assembly. It should be understood that the forms of the disclosure shown and described herein should be construed as representative embodiments. Elements, materials, processes, or steps representatively shown and described herein may be replaced with equivalent elements, materials, processes, or steps. Furthermore, any particular feature of the disclosure may be utilized independently of the use of other features, as will become apparent to those skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description of the disclosure. The terms "including," "comprising," "incorporating," "consisting of," "having," "is," and the like, used to describe and claim the disclosure, are intended to be construed in a non-exclusive manner, i.e., items, components, or elements not expressly described may also be present. References to the singular should be construed as also relating to the plural.

Furthermore, the various embodiments disclosed herein should be construed in an illustrative and explanatory sense, and in no way should they be construed as limiting the disclosure. All coupling references (e.g., attached, secured, coupled, connected, etc.) are used only to aid the reader in understanding the disclosure, and do not create any limitations, particularly with respect to the position, orientation, or use of the systems and/or methods disclosed herein. Thus, when coupling references are present, they should be interpreted broadly. Moreover, such coupling references do not necessarily mean that two elements are directly connected to each other. Moreover, all numerical terms, such as, but not limited to, "first," "second," "third," "primary," "secondary," "main," or any other order and/or numerical terms, should be construed only as identifiers to aid the reader in understanding the various elements, embodiments, variations, and/or modifications of the disclosure, and do not create any limitations, particularly with respect to the order or priority of any element, embodiment, variation, and/or modification relative to another element, embodiment, variation, and/or modification.

Further, it will be understood that one or more of the elements shown in the drawings/figures may be implemented in a more separated or more integrated manner, or may even be eliminated or rendered non-functional in certain cases, as may be useful depending on the particular application.
Clause 1.
An integrated battery component, comprising:
a plurality of cell arrays, each including a plurality of cylindrical cells, the plurality of cylindrical cells being arranged in a common orientation such that the battery array forms a row of cylindrical cells;
a cooling channel formed adjacent to the plurality of cell arrays;
a potting material formed of a resin compound, surrounding the plurality of cell arrays and providing structural support and thermal protection to the integrated battery component;
a bottom surface for supporting the plurality of cylindrical cell arrays;
and a lid for supporting the plurality of cell arrays.
Clause 2.
13. The device of claim 1, wherein the columns of cylindrical cells in each cell array are arranged such that a top surface of each individual cylindrical cell is aligned.
Clause 3.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of cell arrays form a substantially horizontal plane along top surfaces of the cylindrical cells of the plurality of cell arrays.
Clause 4.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the top surface of each individual cylindrical cell presents positive and negative terminals.
Clause 5.
4. The apparatus of clause 3, further comprising one or more aspects.
Clause 6.
The apparatus of clause 5, further comprising a set of electrical interconnects for connection to a vehicle, the set of electrical interconnects being attached to at least one of the one or more sides at a level corresponding to a substantially horizontal plane along a top surface of the cylindrical cell.
Clause 7.
The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising a foil sheet providing electrical connections to individual cylindrical cells of the plurality of cell arrays.
Clause 8.
13. The device of claim 1, wherein each cylindrical cell of the multiple cell array includes a dielectric sleeve surrounding a side surface.
Clause 9.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cell arrays are configured to form a minimum spacing between the cell arrays, and the cooling channel is formed in the minimum spacing between the plurality of cell arrays.
Clause 10.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the cooling channel comprises a manifold for providing a cooling fluid through the cooling channel.
Clause 11.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the manifold is configured to provide a first portion corresponding to an input of the cooling fluid and a second portion for an output of the cooling fluid.
Clause 12.
13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lid forms a thermal barrier between the plurality of cell arrays and a vehicle.
Clause 13.
13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an exterior structure surrounding the integrated battery component.
Clause 14.
An integrated battery component, comprising:
Vehicles and
It has an integrated battery component and
The integrated battery component comprises:
a plurality of cell arrays, each of the cell arrays including a plurality of cells arranged in a common orientation;
a cooling channel formed adjacent to the plurality of cell arrays;
a potting material formed of a resin compound, surrounding the plurality of cell arrays and providing structural support and thermal protection to the integrated battery component;
a bottom surface for supporting the plurality of cell arrays;
a top surface for supporting and protecting the plurality of cell arrays;
The integrated battery component is integrated with the vehicle and provides a structural support surface for the vehicle.
Clause 15.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of cells correspond to at least one of cylindrical cells or rectangular cells, and the common orientation of the plurality of cell arrays includes a row of cells arranged such that a top surface of each individual cell is aligned.
Clause 16.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of cell arrays form a substantially horizontal plane along top surfaces of the cells of the plurality of cell arrays.
Clause 17.
16. The apparatus of clause 15, wherein the top surface of each individual cell presents positive and negative terminals.
Clause 18.
16. The system of claim 15, further comprising one or more aspects.
Clause 19.
18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a set of electrical interconnects for connection to a vehicle, the set of electrical interconnects being attached to at least one of the one or more sides at a level corresponding to the substantially horizontal plane along a top surface of the plurality of cells.
Clause 20.
15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a foil sheet providing electrical connections to individual cells of the plurality of cell arrays.
Clause 21.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of cell arrays are configured to form a minimum spacing between the cell arrays, and the cooling channel is formed in the minimum spacing between the plurality of cell arrays.
Clause 22.
14. The system of claim 13, further comprising an exterior structure surrounding the integrated battery component.
Clause 23.
23. The system of claim 22, further comprising at least one support pillar positioned alongside the integrated battery component to provide additional structural support to the vehicle.
Clause 24.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the integrated battery component is mounted to the vehicle around the integrated battery component.
Clause 25.
An integrated battery component, comprising:
a plurality of cell arrays, each of which includes a plurality of cylindrical cells, the plurality of cylindrical cells being arranged in a common orientation such that a top surface of each individual cell is aligned such that the cylindrical battery array forms a row of cells, the plurality of cell arrays forming a substantially horizontal plane along the top surfaces of the cells of the plurality of cell arrays;
a cooling channel formed adjacent to the plurality of cell arrays;
a potting material formed of a resin compound, surrounding the plurality of cell arrays and providing structural support and thermal protection to the integrated battery component;
a bottom surface for supporting and protecting the plurality of cell arrays;
and a top surface for supporting and protecting the plurality of cell arrays. Clause 26. An integrated battery component.
25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the top surface of each individual cell presents positive and negative terminals.
Clause 27.
25. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising one or more side surfaces and a set of electrical interconnects for connection to a vehicle, the set of electrical interconnects attached to at least one of the one or more side surfaces at a level corresponding to a substantially horizontal plane along a top surface of the cell.
Clause 28.
25. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising a foil sheet providing electrical connections to individual cells of the plurality of cell arrays.
Clause 29.
25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the plurality of cell arrays are configured to define a minimum spacing between the cell arrays, and the cooling channel is formed in the minimum spacing between the plurality of cell arrays.
Clause 30.
25. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising an exterior structure surrounding the integrated battery component.
Clause 31.
25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the plurality of cells corresponds to at least one of cylindrical cells or rectangular cells.

Claims (15)

An integrated battery component, comprising:
at least one energy module;
a cooling channel formed proximate to the at least one energy module ;
a potting material formed of a resin compound, surrounding the at least one energy module and providing structural support and thermal protection to the integrated battery component;
a bottom surface for supporting the at least one energy module ;
a top surface for supporting the at least one energy module ;
the upper surface is directly coupled to the at least one energy module and forms a floor of the vehicle;
An integrated battery component , wherein an environmental seal is formed between the integrated battery component and a vehicle body . the at least one energy module comprises a plurality of cells;
each individual cell of the plurality of cells comprises an upper cell surface;
10. The integrated battery component of claim 1, wherein the upper cell surface presents positive and negative terminals. 10. The integrated battery component of claim 1 , further comprising a foil sheet providing electrical connections to individual cells of the at least one energy module . 2. The integrated battery component of claim 1, wherein the cooling channel comprises a manifold for providing cooling fluid through the cooling channel, the manifold configured to provide a first portion corresponding to an input of the cooling fluid and a second portion for an output of the cooling fluid. The integrated battery component of claim 1 , further comprising an exterior structure surrounding the integrated battery component. 1. A system comprising:
a body having no passenger floor components ;
an integrated battery component;
The integrated battery component comprises:
a plurality of cell arrays, each of the cell arrays including a plurality of cells arranged in a common orientation;
a cooling channel formed adjacent to the plurality of cell arrays;
a potting material formed of a resin compound, surrounding the plurality of cell arrays and providing structural support and thermal protection to the integrated battery component;
an enclosure comprising a mounting interface, an enclosure top and an enclosure bottom ;
the plurality of cell arrays and the potting material are disposed within the enclosure, the enclosure top forming a floor of the vehicle body;
The integrated battery component is attached to and forms a seal with the vehicle body via the mounting interface. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of cells correspond to at least one of cylindrical cells or rectangular cells, and the common orientation of the plurality of cell arrays includes a row of cells arranged such that a top surface of each individual cell is aligned. The system of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of cell arrays form a substantially horizontal plane along top surfaces of a plurality of cells of the plurality of cell arrays. The system of claim 8 further comprising a foil sheet providing electrical connections to individual cells of the plurality of cell arrays. 7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of cell arrays are configured to define a minimum spacing between the cell arrays, and the cooling channels are formed in the minimum spacing between the plurality of cell arrays. The system of claim 6 , further comprising an exterior structure surrounding the integrated battery component. 12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising at least one support strut positioned alongside the integrated battery component to provide additional structural support to the vehicle body . The system of claim 6 , wherein the integrated battery component is mounted to the vehicle body around the periphery of the integrated battery component. The system of claim 6 , wherein the enclosure top mechanically engages a passenger seat. The system of claim 6 , wherein the seal is an environmental seal.

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